We’re happy to contribute this post, and this series on Careers for Dancers, to DanceAdvantage’s Teach-a-Thon! See the link at the end of this post for more on this great blogging event!

Hopefully you’ve read the first two posts in this series on career advice for dancers. If not, check them out too:

• Challenges of a Professional Dance Career
• Jobs in Dance Companies

With this post, we’re continuing our conversation on careers for dancers who aren’t sure if they want to become professional dancers.

Today’s topic: jobs for dancers in the field of media and communications.

Writer/Critic

The dance critic has, for the past several decades, connected people to the world of dance through

newspapers and magazines. As Julie Van Camp put it in her article “Dance Criticism by Croce, Denby, and Siegel”, “Dance criticism is often enjoyed by the reader who never has and never will personally experience the work as an audience member.”

Today, however, the truth is that many positions for dance critics at traditional newspapers are disappearing. Much of this owes to the fact that newspapers are cutting budgets and eliminating many full-time and part-time positions. Dance critics must look to freelancing opportunities, or they must find opportunities to write for web, which may require a slightly different approach than writing for print.

For an inside look at the history of dance critics, their futures, and the recent changes within this field, read this essay by dance critic Camille LeFevre, a Twin Cities dance critic.

Director/Filmmaker

Though we’re seeing less coverage of dance in print media like newspapers, we’re seeing more and more

dance on-screen, in both television and movies. Putting dance into films and on television introduces the art to a world of people who are often not so familiar with dance.

If you have a background in dance, you would have an edge when selecting subjects, identifying audiences, and capturing presentations for dance films and television programs.

You can investigate several career paths that combine dance with television or film. Visit some of the following links for more information and to see the work of some professionals in this field:

• Mouvement Perpétuel – Production company of filmmakers Philip Szporer and Marlene Millar
• On Philip Szporer
• British Council of Arts on Dance Films
• Dance Film Association, Inc.
• Wayne State Department of Dance - Technology: A dance program encouraging dance film making

Dance Photographer

The exquisitely angled shots of dancers captured mid-air, floating in perfect lighting: these are the work of professional dance photographers. And without these professionals, dance magazines and company websites would be quite bare.

Dance photographers often begin as freelancers, working on a variety of projects. Many are self-taught, training through experience. And, according to the BLS, about 50-percent of professional photographers are self-employed.

As in dance film-making, many dance photographers break into the industry by slowly creating a portfolio. When beginning your career, you may even do some work for free so that you can build up a collection of quality shots.

Securing your first dance photography assignments may take some time, but once a company finds a good photographer,

it will often return to him or her for future shoots. The best way to sell your talents is to create a solid portfolio in several formats. Build a website that includes a gallery of your work. And, create a traditional portfolio that you can actually hand to a director or studio owner.

If you are a beginner, many colleges offer courses or entire degree programs in photography. In these courses, you’ll learn the technical and artistic skills needed for a career in photography.

A dance photographer doesn’t necessarily need a background in dance, but it’s a great advantage. As a dancer, you are familiar with classical works, and you’ll know the placement of photo-worthy combinations in a performance. And when shooting in a studio, your knowledge of positions will help you get shots that look correct and natural.

To see the online galleries of some dance photographers, visit the following links:

• Lois Greenfield Photography
• Marty Sohl Photography
• Dance Photography by Richard Finkelstein
• Arabesque Photography

Still Not Sure?

Do any of these jobs match your skills and personality? If not, don’t worry. Go back and read our posts on jobs within dance companies and on the challenges of a professional dance career.

And, come back for our next post in this series on career advice for dancers. We will be talking about careers for dancers who are also interested in medicine and health care.

Teach-a-Thon

Throughout this week, we are participating in DanceAdvantage’s Teach-a-Thon, a week-long blogging event that offers advice to all of the dance students heading back to classes soon.

As you read our posts on Careers for Dancers all week long, make sure you also check out posts by the other Teach-a-Thon participants.